Former KRC Genk team-mate Joseph Paintsil has been saddened by Daniel Munoz’s departure with Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace signing an £8.5 million defender without any obvious ‘weaknesses’.
While Monday’s 3-1 home defeat to London rivals Chelsea did little to dispel the growing concerns around Crystal Palace’s top-flight future, the performances of the club’s two January signings felt like a rare of sunlight piercing through the dark clouds hanging over Selhurst Park.
20-year-old Adam Wharton was excellent, not only on the ball but off it too. Daniel Munoz, meanwhile, looks a bundle of energy and aggression on the flank, the bargain £8.5 million acquisition potentially the man to finally fill an Aaron Wan-Bissaka shaped void on the right-hand side of The Eagles’ backline.
Crystal Palace sign Daniel Munoz from Genk
“Nowadays it’s about youth, talent and the endurance you can give to the team. And Munoz will be doing everything possible to be first-choice, which he will be,” former Genk team-mate Paintsil tells South London Press.
“I never saw him having weaknesses. His main strength is that he’s unpredictable. He’s fast, a dribbler, and has a lot of strength. It’s in his genes, you know? Munoz is an offensive right-back who is really great at scoring goals. We do talk and he’s really happy (at Crystal Palace).”
While a ‘defender’ first and foremost, Colombia international Munoz was a regular source of creativity during his time in Belgium. In his final 18 months as a Genk player, the one-time Everton target scored or assisted no fewer than 24 goals.
Eagles open Oliver Glasner talks
“We lost an important player and it really hurts,” adds Paintsil, who could have joined Leeds United or Southampton last summer. “But there was no jealousy, just lots of emotions.
“Seeing a great player leaving the club made us really sad. But, at the same time, we’re happy for him because that was his dream. Every footballer wants to play in the best leagues like England.
“We all wish him all the best.”
Munoz is likely to start again during Monday’s trip to Goodison Park, the 27-year-old taking on a club who looked at bringing him to England a few windows ago. It remains to be seen if Oliver Glasner, who HITC Football understands has opened talks with chairman Steve Parish, will officially have replaced Roy Hodgson on the Crystal Palace bench by the time kick-off rolls around on Merseyside.
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